Deep Impact Spacecraft Images Comet ISON
NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft has acquired its first images of comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). The images were taken by the spacecraft’s Medium-Resolution Imager over a 36-hour…
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Could Comet ISON Be the Comet of the Century?
Out near the orbit of Jupiter, a faint speck of light is moving through the black of space. At first glance it doesn’t look like much,…
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Missing Jupiters – Do They Imply Massive Comet Belts Around Other Stars?
Using ESA’s Herschel space observatory, astronomers have discovered vast comet belts surrounding two nearby planetary systems known to host only Earth-to-Neptune-mass worlds. The comet reservoirs could…
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Looking Back on the Giotto Encounter With Comet Halley
Comet Halley, the originator of the Orionids meteor shower that lit up our skies last month – as they do every October – is seen here…
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Comet Material Found in Nearby Beta Pictoris System
Pristine material that matches comets in our own Solar System have been found in a dust belt around the young star Beta Pictoris by ESA’s Herschel…
Read the articleNew Comet C/2012 S1 Could Dazzle in 2013
There’s buzz around the newly-discovered Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) which is currently out beyond the orbit of Jupiter. It looks like the comet is heading for…
Read the articleYet Another Coronal Mass Ejection on Its Way
Sunspot AR1429 unleashed another strong flare (category M7.9) on March 13th. The explosion produced a significant coronal mass ejection (CME), which forecasters say should reach Earth…
Read the articleESA Rosetta Mission to Land on a Comet
Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft is en route to intercept a comet– and to make history. In 2014, Rosetta will enter orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenkoand land a probe…
Read the articleISS Commander Dan Burbank Captures Unprecedented View of Comet Lovejoy
International Space Station Commander Dan Burbank captured spectacular imagery of Comet Lovejoy, viewed from about 240 miles above the Earth’s horizon on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Today…
Read the articleDid the Water in Earth’s Oceans Come From Comets After All?
ESA’s Herschel infrared space observatory has found water in a comet with almost exactly the same composition as Earth’s oceans. The discovery revives the idea that…
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